Ways of social change. 14 : Making sense of modern times

The world is at our fingertips, but understanding what is going on has never been more daunting. Garth Massey’s Ways of Social Change is a primer for making sense of both rapidly moving events and the cultural and structural forces on which social life is built, while teaching critical thinking skills needed to understand social change. With an approach that is fresh, timely, challenging, and engaging, Ways of Social Change shows students how social change is both a lived experience and the result of our actions in the world. It invites the reader into the realm of social science, where clarification, understanding, and inquiry provide for both informed opinions and a path to effective involvement. The core of the book focuses on five forces that powerfully influence the direction, scope and speed of social change: science and technology, social movements, war and revolution, large corporations, and the state. A concluding chapter encourages students to examine their own perspectives and offers ways to engage in social change, now and in their lifetime. "Ways of Social Change is very readable and has great discussion questions and suggested activities. It is one of the few books where I have had students volunteer praise for the book!" - Connie Robinson, Central Washington University. The world is at our fingertips, but understanding what is going on has never been more daunting. Ways of Social Change is a primer for making sense of both rapidly moving events and the cultural and structural forces on which social life is built, while teaching critical thinking skills needed to understand social change. With an approach that is fresh, timely, challenging, and engaging, Ways of Social Change shows students how social change is both a lived experience and the result of our actions in the world. It invites the reader into the realm of social science, where clarification, understanding, and inquiry provide for both informed opinions and a path to effective involvement. The core of the book focuses on five forces that powerfully influence the direction, scope and speed of social change: science and technology, social movements, war and revolution, large corporations, and the state. A concluding chapter encourages students to examine their own perspectives and offers ways to engage in social change, now and in their lifetime Preface -- The Personal Experience Of Social Change -- Recognizing Social Change -- Understanding And Explaining Social Change -- Technology, Science, And Innovation : The Social Consequences Of New Knowlege And New Ways To Do Things -- Social Movements : Social Change Through Contention -- War, Revolution, And Social Change : Political Violence And Structured Coercion -- Corporations In The Modern Era : The Commercial Transformation Of Material Life And Culture -- The State And Social Change : The Uses Of Public Resources For The Common Good -- Making Social Change: Actively Engaging A Desire For Social Change -- References -- Name Index -- Subject Index. Garth Massey, University Of Wyoming. Revised Editon Of The Author's Ways Of Social Change, 2012. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. This book discusses the main narrative of contemporary social change and teaches the critical thinking skills needed to make sense of the changing world in the 21st Century. This book is organized around five major drivers of social change: science and technology, social movements, corporate power, government actions, and war. In contrast to other titles, which emphasize theories of social change, this book focuses more on describing and analyzing changes that are taking place in global society. This edition contains new or updated material on income distribution, scientific and technological innovations, and the power of large coroporations including a new section in the last chapter called Visions of the future